


Not the Same

by Juliadawriter



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2020-07-08 12:51:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19869958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Juliadawriter/pseuds/Juliadawriter
Summary: Friendships come and go... some stay, some aren't the same. For you, not much is the same after so many years in your hometown.Drama, bullying, and popularity is what surrounded you now.However, adding romance into the mix may not be so bad...Unless it's with your old best friend.





	Not the Same

**Author's Note:**

> I had this idea for a long time and I'm happy to make it a reality. It's been awesome writing this and writing my other fic, Never Apart! I would have started this earlier if stuff hadn't gone wrong.... Well, time to think ahead! I hope you enjoy this little series.

Destiny Islands was your home ever since you were a little girl. Over the years of living there, you grew close to the other inhabitants on the island. Riku, Kairi, Sora, Roxas, Ventus, Olette, Namine, Xion, Pence, and Hayner were the main group of friends you chose to be around. They saw you as the cheerful introvert you were when you were young. You didn't mind that they thought about you like that. They were all you needed on this beloved island home of yours and their judgement was always kind.

Growing up here was fun with those close to you. Everyday was a new adventure with your friends. Whether it'd be going to the smaller island, hanging out at the beach, swinging on the swing-set, shopping, and more. Your friends are there for you. It didn't matter that you began to gain interest in things that some of them thought were odd. They accepted you for you. This made you feel happy throughout elementary school and the beginning of middle school.

Nothing could go bad, right?

...Wrong. You were wrong.

When middle school came around, things became a disaster for you... at least that's what you believed. Your friend group was crumbling around you. In the eight grade, your friends Riku, Kairi, and Sora became a love triangle after both boys admitted they shared feelings for the red head. 

Yes. A fucking love triangle. That made you more uncomfortable than anyone could imagine.

Some of those in the group took sides which you had no part in. A relationship was no joke to you. Choosing sides felt... it just felt like something you shouldn't be involved in. With decision came consequences. Of course your friends showed no care for you not having an opinion yet it bothered you. Every time you went close to those three or if they were just in the same class, you felt awkward.

You decided to give them some distance. You cared for them deeply, but this was too much for an eight grader. Then... somehow... you were barely seeing anyone.

Your friends still hung out with you every now and then, however, it was never a giant group thing anymore. Xion became focused on soccer. Ventus found some new friends older than him who were interested in video games like he was. Sora, Kairi, and Riku were sorting out their feelings when the beginning of high school came.

The worst has yet to come.

The minute you all entered high school you began to get criticism from almost anyone you passed by in the school. Many girls questioned your odd fashion choices. Long sleeves, jeans, and sometimes a military jacket that your sister gave you on your birthday. 

Your friends hadn't questioned your fashion choices. They thought the way you looked made you... you. The kind of clothing you wore was harmless in your head. But... some people speculate that you were hiding something. It didn't help that you were naturally shy around new folks so that added more to these speculations.

Rumors began to spread meaning there was no turning back.

You could feel the stares from when you walked around as a freshman. Everyone hated freshman... but this was different. Usually no one paid you any mind except for the few judgmental stares. Until a particular blonde sophomore took interest in making your life miserable. She kept making fun of you whenever you walked past her. She mentioned how you could pull your hair out if you kept messing with it whenever you got nervous. Then the final piece of this horrid treatment was when she tripped you. She kept on doing it from time to time as if it was a habit. 

She made going to high school torture. 

Each day was a new round of embarrassment and bombardment of nicknames given to you by the bitch everyone knew as Larxene. Namine and Roxas, the closest friends you had that year, were never nearby to help you stop the torment. They were the close friends you had left because everyone you avoided like the plague.

Finally... second semester of freshman year came and Roxas was getting more distant as time passed. You guessed he wasn't trying to do that but it happened. He got busy with baseball and swimming. You knew they were important to him so you let him be. However, Namine stay a constant in your life. You two were the artists in the group which made you have more classes with her. You two even joined the art club together. 

Being close with Namine helped you keep some of the confidence you has as more time was staring to pass by.

Now everything is the same as junior year rolls along... with a few more differences than you would like.

X

RING! RING! RING! RING!

"Ugh..." You groan out as you smash the snooze button on your phone. You needed five more minutes. A bit more sleep and you would be up as soon as possible. Please let the world bless you with five more minutes...

"(Name)! Get your ass up!" Your older sister, Alix, shouted from down the hall.

"And... great..." You slowly slump your way out from under your covers. "Thanks a lot, Alix!" Venom clearly coming out of your voice.

"Suck it up, (Name)!" The sound of the shower alerted you that you couldn't argue with her anymore.

You squint your eyes, getting out of your messy bed. Without really giving a care in the world, you grab a white long sleeved shirt, your military jacket, and some black jeans. Slipping those on as quickly as you could so you can grab some toast and leave to meet up with Namine and her sisters.

As you hop down the stairs with your hair brush, sketchpad, shoes, and pencil bag, you hear your mother call out your name.

"(Name), remember to bring a lunch this time!" You roll your eyes before sitting on the steps to place your converse on your feet. Brushing your hair came next before you would enter the kitchen. A regular routine for you.

"Mom, I will," You swipe a piece of toast from the plate your mother put out. "By the way, I may be home a bit late because the art club is going to face paint at the baseball game this afternoon.

Your mother nods as you munch down on the toast. She knew you loved art but going to the games annoy you. After every game you would complain to Alix or her about how stupid the players were. Granted a few of them were friends of yours but that had no affect on your mini rants.

"(Name), you better remember those keys of yours. Alix and I aren't going to be here when you get back and your father will be at work." You sigh loudly, stuffing your art supplies into the little room you have left in your backpack.

"Got it." You grab another slice of toast, heading to the key hanger. You take your lanyard with the five funny quote buttons.

Placing it around your neck, you head out after yelling goodbye to your mother. You proceed to head off towards the direction of Namine's house. You lived about a block away from her which made it easy to walk with her, Xion, and Kairi to school. You enjoyed the company the three sisters gave you even if you rarely hung out with two of them.

The four of you always found ways to talk about hobbies, what you were planning on doing during the weekend, and more. The topic of boys was one you tried to avoid anytime you walked with them. One, because you had no interest in talking about that. Two, you had no crush on any boys at the moment. Three, it reminded you of the love triangle which haunts you to this day. Finally, four, Xion felt almost as uncomfortable as you in those types of talks.

"Hey, (Name)." You turned to find Riku in front of you, waving. He was lucky enough to live across the street from Kairi, Namine, and Xion.

"Hey, Riku." You shyly flash a small smile, waving slightly. Although he was your friend, shyness took over your whole body leaving no space for confidence.

"You heading off with the girls?" Riku crossed his arms.

"Yup. I-I usually do. You should pay attention." You poke his arm, happy some confidence seeped through your shell. You turned back to the large house that you knew to be the home of your best friend.

"Yeah... sorry about that. I got to go find the quadruplet dorks. I'll see you in school?"

"You will since you have to turn in your side of our English project." You add, quirking.

"Great... Can't wait." He says unenthusiastically as he walks off, leaving you to go back to business.

You walk up the sidewalk towards the door, knocking four times. You swung yourself back and forth, hoping for a fast response to avoid being seen by Hayner. You had no time for any of his comments about baseball... or any sport in the matter.

After five minutes have passed by, you are soon tapping your foot. A quick response was too hopeful and too much to expect from them. You looked around the garden surrounding the house to distract yourself from this boredom that was rising up.

The garden was full of life. It had lilies, rose bushes, daises, and orchids. You smiled as you mentally wrote a note in your head to start a drawing of nature. 

The door suddenly burst open with the three sisters moving to leave.

"Sup, (Name)." Xion walks past you to make room for the other girls.

"Hi, (Name)!" Kairi giggles, walking to Xion.

"Sorry for taking a while... I couldn't find my paint brushes." Namine shifts her hair to the side, closing the door behind her.

"Oh, I don't mind. We should hurry though unless you want to hear Hayner go on and on about how the team is doing this season." A small chuckle escaped from your mouth.

Namine shook her head, smiling as you four walked towards the school. 

A conversation soon broke out between the four of you in a matter of minutes. The silence was too much. You complained about going to the game with Namine who agreed with you.

"You two need to relax. All you do is face paint and hand out markers with large sheets of paper so people can make signs to support the team." Xion rolled her eyes.

"So? I... I hate the sport. I even hate how we could get hurt at any time during the game. One time our booth was struck with a baseball! It caused all of our face paints and the water we use to clean our brushes to fall onto the floor, covering me and Namine in dirty paint water." You huffed with Namine silently muttering a short curse word under her breath.

"Yikes... why do you guys face paint at the games if it's that horrible?" Kairi questioned, walking backwards in front of you three.

"It's to raise money for the club, Kairi... (Name) and I are required to go." Namine rubbed her arm.

"Hey, at least you two could cheer on Roxas. Better than nothing." Xion force Kairi to walk forwards again before she could tumble backwards.

Hearing his name made your heart feel heavy.

_Roxas..._

You remember the last time you hung out. He was so kind and caring to you even with his dark sense of humor when you two went to walk around the park almost eight months ago. He hardly showed emotions at times but you thought that didn't matter. As long as he was there for you, you would be fine.

Guess you were wrong.

"(Name)? You okay there?" Xion shook you, noticing the small frown that formed on your face.

"Huh? Oh... um... yeah." You shrug her off, not saying another word.

Xion furrowed her brows but decided against pushing the subject on you... she would have to do it with Roxas during their history lesson.

"Today is going to be great. I'm baking cupcakes with the rest of the class and Ms. Smith said we can bring some to friends," Kairi place her hands behind her. "I'll bake some special one for you guys."

"If it isn't burnt, I'm down." You muttered causing Namine to giggle.

X

"Yo, Roxas!" A spiky haired redhead, race over to his younger friend.

The blonde turned to face one of his best friends, Axel. With one strap on his shoulder he scoffed. "I'm waiting, Ax."

Axel punched him in the shoulder. In return, Roxas shoved him. "Okay... be an asshole. I'll keep my mouth shut on the information I was supposed to give you."

Roxas raised his eyebrow, curious, shaking his head. "Hey, you started it. I'll take that information as compensation, thank you very much."

Axel laughed, crossing his arms. Their friendship mostly consisted of this. They goofed off, ate ice cream, talked about anything, and played pranks on those who deserved them. For Roxas, it was awesome to have a friend like Axel. He felt more like his own person when he was around Axel. More than when he was with his three brothers... especially Sora, the golden child.

"To get it started, Larxene is being more of a bitch today. Avoiding her at all cost is necessary since we shouldn't deal with her crap... Also Xion wants to ta-"

THUD!

Roxas' gaze went over to the direction of the sound. His eyes narrowed when he saw you on the floor with Namine helping you up along with trying to gather up the papers you spilled. 

Giggles erupted from the two teens leaning against the lockers. Larxene and Marluxia. The king and queen of being assholes.

"I should give them a piece of my mind. Treating people like shit isn't funny." Roxas glared daggers in their direction.

"Roxas, pal, why would you care? You barely see the poor girl anymore." Axel received a swift kick to his shin. "OW! Watch it!"

"Just because we barely see each other doesn't mean she isn't my friend. Besides, no one should be treated as a target." Roxas jabbed his finer at Axel's chest.

"Doesn't look like she's your friend. You flat out ignore her whenever you see each other at the games she volunteers at. You talk more to the girls who swoon over you. Heck, you haven't hung out properly in months. In my eyes and hers, you moved on from that friendship." Axel waved Roxas' hand away.

Roxas attempted to speak but went silent. Axel had a point. Ever since high school began, you two drifted apart. He went on to play baseball and swim on the swim team. You stayed conservative and continued with art. Those times you two would walk home together or spend time with the whole group diminished over time.

What had gone wrong?

In his mind, all he couldn't handle were that his siblings surrounded him most of the time. Being compared to his brothers while he wanted to hang out with friend got him angry, making him want to explode. Yet you tried to stay connected with everyone unlike Roxas.

"What I was saying earlier was that Xion wants to speak with you," Axel paced ahead of him, turning his head. "She refused to mention why but eh, it's a you problem."

With his work done, Axel was gone.

Roxas rolled his eyes, sighing. He guessed it would be about getting ice cream or some homework in history. 

His attention was soon captured by Larxene. "Roxas, you better do good in the game. Everyone is counting on those stubby arms of yours." She sneered as Roxas stared at her in annoyance.

"Whatever, Queen B." He rushed off before she spit out another words towards him.

People greeted Roxas on his way to his locker. He fist bumped a few guys he knew on the swim team and baseball team but silently said hi to those he rarely notice or knew. Roxas was popular. He hated it yet it was a part of his life. Attention on him felt weird. He would have cared less if it was on Riku but him... fuck it. He despised the attention and popularity.

Roxas quickly made it to his locker, opening it after several times of him messing up the code. Grabbing his Algebra II textbook and notebook, he took a second to breathe. He turned his head towards the door of his locker.

Not much was on it. Mostly sticky notes reminding him of the important dates and items he need to memorize. Roxas didn't have much of a personality if you judged him by his locker door. However, the only items that made him smile were the two photos he hung.

One of them was taken five months ago. It was of him, Axel, Isa, Xion, Hayner, Pence, and Olette. They were in front of the ice cream shop holding up their sea salt ice cream bars. Everyone was beaming as the photo was taken.

The last photo was from many years ago. He was in middle school when the photo was taken by Mr. (Last Name). Him, Riku, Kairi, Sora, Ventus, Xion, Namine, and (Name) were huddled against the swing set. Everyone seemed so carefree in that photo... it reminded him of what you all had a long time ago.

That is in the past now. It is time to look at the future. Moving on to more important things in life. Besides, Axel had pointed out that friends can grow distant. They can break apart during the changes in their lives. It had happened to his old friend group. No matter how hard he tried to stay in touch... they broke apart.

He bit his lip, slamming his locker door shut.

_Smartass..._

Roxas had tried. He truly had tried. Life had come and fucked up his old life. He accepted it without really knowing it. That's why he and (Name) grew apart. He lost one of his best friends but found new ones.

Life moved on... so can he.


End file.
